


My Halloween Story

by rini1031



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-25
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2019-07-17 13:37:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16096739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rini1031/pseuds/rini1031
Summary: The Infamous 'Gloria Ghost' tells his own story in a fun, quick little ficlet.





	My Halloween Story

Dear Sir,

 

I am enclosing an article for publication in your October 2015 Special Halloween edition of _Spectres_.  This article will finally put to answer one of the most buzzed about rumours in England and serve as a cornerstone for your “Best Halloween Night Haunts” list.  I have been a faithful and dutiful subscriber and patron to this magazine over the decades and would be honoured to featured within its pages.  And, if I may say so -  respectfully, of course – the quality of work found here lately has been declining as of late, which I am incredibly saddened to see in such a fine publication.

With respect, please understand that there are many other haunted specials in many other magazines – although, perhaps they are not so esteemed – but I chose to offer this personal expose to you first.  This article will shed light on a centuries old mystery and expose secrets kept by a once _very_ important man – historically speaking.  No doubt you readers will write in droves to thank you for running this illuminating article!

 

With respect,

The Gloria Ghost.

* * *

 

 

(Attachment)

Once upon a time...  No, no, no; that’s not right.  I mean, yes, that is _technically_ how one should begin a magical story, but seriously?  How cliché is “Once Upon a Time?”  Ok, take two: ‘It was a dark and stormy night...’  No.  Ok, yes, it was dark and yes, it was rainy – it’s _always_ rainy – and that _is_ how one should begin a horror tale, but...  I don’t know.  I just don’t like it.  Moving on.  ‘A long time ago and far, far a-’ NO! No, no, no, no, no!  1) That sounds far too much like that Star Wars thing, or was it Star Trek?  You know, “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away?”  Either way, 2) it wasn’t _really_ that long ago, just long enough that most people have become hazy on the details, and  3) I don’t think far, far away counts if it’s still the same planet. 

How about this: “Once upon a midnight dreary” – does that count as plagiarism?  Probably, but you have to admit, that Poe chap definitely knew his gothic tales, even if he _was_ American.  Ok.  “Once upon a rainy Halloween night about a year ago (Author’s Note: if you don’t give an actual date, just a time frame people can’t look up the actual event so they can’t call you on “historical inaccuracies”) outside of Cambridge stands an estate.  This is a beautiful old house.  And it’s haunted. 

Right.  Good strong opening line and hook.  Should I say who I am yet?  It might be too soon, don’t want to tip my hand in the first paragraph so to speak, and, besides, the readers might be mad if I foreshadow the surprise too early.  Now what?  Oh, I know!  I can talk about my family.  How about:  I should know, I live there with my family.  Well, the Red family, the Earl of Gloria and his siblings; they are a fine family to live with and don’t mind the cold spots and electrical flickerings.  Not like some families, I’ve heard...  Only a few of us remain year round at the estate; Dione and Orlando are both usually at University and Rafael is also in London – he’s a barrister and I’m so proud of him – and Dorian travels the world, so I’m usually left here all alone with the day staff.  And Bonham, the butler.  To make some money for our family, we encourage public tours of the estate.  We’re hardly the only family to do so – so many of us have fallen on hard times; estates aren’t like what you see on _Downton Abby_ you know.  At least, they aren’t like that anymore... 

I digress, so, where was I?  Tours?  Right, Tours.  So, we are hardly the only haunted estate is England either, so it’s tough competition for the tourists.  Not that we don’t have our regulars, mind; there’s a lovely old couple from Kent that come to Cambridge each Christmas and always stop by for a tour of the gallery and a cuppa.  Nice people those.  They are always willing to be shocked by a moving portrait, but I must be careful to not lower the temperature too much.  We don’t necessarily do a scary tour, you see.  I make sure everyone who comes enjoys the house with minimal traditional jumps scares as possible unless, of course you ask for them.  I can be a frightening as any poltergeist if desired.

Anyhow, back to Halloween; another estate, whose name I shall not mention, always puts on a frightfully good show and even outright charge for it!  They have music, candlelight walks, at least two _guaranteed_ supernatural experiences per person, and even tea.  TEA!  How are we meant to compete with that!?!  Well, I tell you – write you? – we can’t. 

Their ghosts even rattle chains.  Chains!  I ask you, dear readers, have you _EVER_ seen a ghost wearing a chain?  NO!  Thanks a lot Dickens.  He was paid by the word you know.  Wanker.

_Anyway_ , so this year – last year, when I’m setting the story, not writing it – I decided to change things up.  I asked Bonham to call the twins and Rafael back home for Halloween – I am incorporeal after all, as all old ghosts are, and I needed help if everything was going to go smoothly – and begged Dorian not to jet off to Spain for the week.  Again.  With all their help we dirtied up the place.  Not too badly, mind, we’d have to clean it again; the day staff refused to touch the bleeding walls.  It’s not like it was even real blood!  Amateurs.  Well, ok, so it did look like real blood and I shouldn’t be so harsh if I’m going to get this published.  Just think, _me_ , a real, published writer!

So, back to the bleeding walls...  It’s a bloody great trick if you ask me.  Get it?  Bloody walls, bloody trick?  I rather am quite funny aren’t I?  Right, the trick is done with _ghost blood_ – all the look of real, none of the staining ability.  Of course, you do need a ghost to do it...  Not that that’s hard to find here; most of the old families have at least one and some even have more that would be _happy_ to help.  I promise; they live for the excitement and the “main” ghost is usually far too haughty to let them help out...  And if you live in the city there is the local Nekros chapter and they’ll be happy to match you.  Just do go in at _least_ a month before Halloween if you’re doing a party and give it a good month for the residual haunting to wear off.

Right, I’m off track again; this writing thing is harder than it seems.  So we had _real_ bleeding walls – at random interval too.  Beat that you-know-who! – ghostly music and dancing thanks to Di’s ballet training – all the London theatre ghosts travelled down with her; they must have been really excited to get to dance with a real ballerina!  We even had floating candlelight tours that cumulated in an invisible duel!  Well, semi-invisible.  You could still see the swords, obviously.  And, fine, so we made up the whole duel plotline; the show was breathtaking and Dorian’s excitability worked in our favour as he makes a brilliant narrator!  Besides, there _might_ have been a duel to the death about six hundred years ago.  You can’t prove otherwise, and we never did promise an exactly historic tour.  If you want boring history, go to Oxford and their haunted halls.  Or any other boring universities; all their ghosts are all the same.  They don’t exaggerate anything, it’s like watching a lecture.  Ugg.  Also, the only ghost old enough to know for sure who lives nearby is a tavern ghost and he’d never correct an Earl’s family or their ghost.  So there you go!

Right, so our epic reveal!  The one that those of you who couldn’t make it to the show are dying to read about.  After centuries of silence was revealed that I am none other than John Argentine!  Yes, that John Argentine; the one who last saw the Princes locked so unfairly in the Tower, who was doctor to Henry VIII.  It is his ghost who haunts this estate!  Yes, the time has come, and we are finally speaking out on all the rumours.  It’s not every family that can boast such a magnificent family ghost; one who has served kings and as Porvost of King’s College. 

You see, the main point of the duel wasn’t the murder that _might_ have been committed during it, but rather, the duel served to reveal the identity of the Gloria Ghost.  That was why it isn’t _exactly_ historically accurate but rather a...  representation of what might have been?  Yes, a representation of what duels were in the new 16 th century (Author’s Note: oh fine, it was just barely 500 years ago.  Happy now?).  Still, I think it’s safe to say that our family has the best Halloween show in Cambridge, if not all of England!  And we’ll be performing it this coming year as well, and all though the month of October, so please, stop by and enjoy this season.  We’ll be waiting for you!.

 

Signed,

John Argentine,

The Gloria Ghost


End file.
